Java
, known in America as Red Falcon, is an alien creature and one of the main antagonists throughout many of the Contra games. He is also leader of the alien army, Red Falcon. In Japan, "Red Falcon" only refers to the alien army and no such alien is given that name. In addition, he is actually identified as two separate entities in Japan: his alien head form is known as Emperor Demon Gava (天王鬼 ギャバ, Tennōki Gava) and his heart is known as Emperor Demon-Breeding Heart Gomeramos King (天王創魔心ゴメラモスキング, Tenno Soma-shin Gomeramos King). Background Java is depicted as an unstable biomass that attempts to conquer Earth. As the first phase to conquer it, he created a terrorist organization (also an alien army). Two Contra members, Bill Rizer and Lance Bean, have managed to put a stop to his plans repeatedly. However, he and the other aliens returned many times to get revenge. Appearance In the original Contra, the game's final stage can be considered the entire biomass alien entity that is Java, with the hero first battling his head and then at the stage's conclusion, his heart. Throughout the series, he is usually depicted as a large dragon-like alien head form, inspired by the xenomorph from the Alien franchise. In Contra III: The Alien Wars, the alien head form is slightly altered through the addition of tiny arms. As a result, his appearance loses some resemblance to the iconic film creature. In most cases, Java materializes as a giant heart the player needs to battle against. This form is characterized as covering up an entire wall, pulsating rapidly as it provides life across the biomass. This form usually has a set of alien eggs surrounding it on both the floor and ceiling as defense against potential attacks. These eggs will release an unrelenting hoard of spider-like creatures resembling the facehugger from the Alien franchise. Contra: Hard Corps continued to reimagine his appearance through dramatic alterations. When both forms are fought within the same game, Java's giant heart always follows his head form. In both Contra: Hard Corps and Contra: Shattered Soldier, human antagonists use his DNA and cells to do research and to use later to create new monstrosities. In later entries of the series, he only makes appearance in the form of a giant heart. Continuity issues Given that character names and storylines are often changed or altered when a video game is released between different markets (especially in a series that has multiple games released throughout several decades like Contra), continuity issues commonly occur. The name "Red Falcon" is heavily affected by this; because the Japanese market originally envisioned the Red Falcon only as an alien terrorist organization and not an actual alien leader, there is no legitimacy on what Red Falcon's true appearance is meant to be. Emperor Demon Gava and Emperor Demon-Breeding Heart Gomeramos King, the two creatures the player faces at the end of Contra, are generally considered to be components of his physical form, but this is only the case in North America, as in Japan, those creatures only make up the Red Falcon army and are not necessarily the leader of the organization. In fact, no definitive Red Falcon leader is ever clearly identified in the Japanese Contra ''timeline. With that said, the final boss of ''Super Contra, known as Jagger Froid in North America, which makes multiple appearances throughout the series, is commonly confused with Red Falcon. Major inconsistencies began in the North American Contra III: The Alien Wars, when the alien head form of the supposed Red Falcon in the game's final was misidentified (or retconned) and renamed "Para-Slug". The Japanese names, however, remain consistent throughout the series. Appearances *''Contra'' — Appears as a dragon or xenomorph-like alien head and a giant heart. *''Contra III: The Alien Wars'' — Appears as a dragon-like alien head (renamed Para-Slug) and a giant heart. *''Contra: Hard Corps'' — Appears as a dragon or frog-like alien head and a giant heart. *''Contra: Shattered Soldier'' — Appears as a fish-like alien head and a giant heart. *''Contra 4'' — Appears as a giant heart. *''Contra ReBirth'' — Appears as a giant heart. Reception IGN Ranked Red Falcon 76th being one of the Top 100 Villains due to his persisting resurrections.http://www.listal.com/list/top-100-videogame-villains Gallery Artworks Java - 03.jpg|''Contra'' Screenshots redfalcon.png|''Contra'' Java - 01.png|''Contra III: The Alien Wars'' Java Gameboy Alien Wars.png|''Contra: The Alien Wars'' (GB) Animations Java - 02.gif|''Contra III: The Alien Wars'' See also *Black Viper *Bundle *Gava *Gomeramos King *Red Falcon Reference Category:Aliens Category:Antagonists Category:Male characters Category:Contra bosses Category:Hard Corps bosses Category:Shattered Soldier bosses Category:The Alien Wars bosses